Don Aker

{{Infobox writer

| name = Don Aker

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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|10|21|df=yes}}

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| occupation = {{hlist|Writer|educator}}

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| genre = Young adult literature

| notable_works = {{Plainlist|

Of Things Not Seen (1995)
The First Stone (2003)

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| awards = Ann Connor Brimer Award (1996, 2004)

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| website = {{URL|https://donaker.com/}}

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Don Aker (born 21 October 1955) is a Canadian writer and educator from Nova Scotia. His books won the Ann Connor Brimer Award in 1996 and 2004.

Biography

Aker was born on 21 October 1955 in Windsor, Nova Scotia.{{Sfnmp|Hawthorn|2020|Jenkinson|2000}} He graduated from Acadia University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1975, a Bachelor of Education in 1977, and a Master of Education in 1991.{{Sfnmp|Hawthorn|2020}} Aker worked as a schoolteacher for 33 years, teaching English and creative writing at various levels.{{Sfnmp|Jenkinson|2000|Hawthorn|2020}}

His writing career began after attending a writing workshop at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts in 1988.{{Sfnmp|Jenkinson|2000}} His first short story, The Invitation, was published in 1990 and has been included in three anthologies. The story was later adapted into a screenplay, with $10,000 in funding provided by Telefilm Canada for its production.{{Sfnmp|Jenkinson|2000|Hawthorn|2020}} Aker's first novel, Of Things Not Seen, was published in 1995 and won the Ann Connor Brimer Award for Young Adult Literature in 1996. He received the same award again in 2004 for his novel The First Stone.{{Sfnmp|Jenkinson|2000}}

Publications

{{cite book |last=Aker |first=Don |date=1995 |title=Of Things Not Seen |url= |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=Stoddart Publishing |isbn=978-0-7736-7435-6 |oclc=32090466}}{{Sfnmp|Jenkinson|1995|Langton|1998}}
{{cite book |last=Aker |first=Don |author-mask=1 |date=1997 |title=Stranger at Bay |url= |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=Stoddart Kids |isbn=978-0-7736-7468-4 |oclc=37200418}}{{Sfnmp|Garvie|1998|Langton|1998}}
{{cite book |last=Aker |first=Don |author-mask=1 |date=2003 |title=The First Stone |url= |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=HarperTrophy |isbn=978-1-4434-0142-5 |oclc=1015289028}}{{Sfnmp|Hawthorn|2020|Garlinski|2009}}
{{cite book |last=Aker |first=Don |author-mask=1 |date=2005 |title=One on One |url= |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=HarperTrophy |isbn=978-0-0063-9531-7 |oclc=59136514}}
{{cite book |last=Aker |first=Don |author-mask=1 |date=2009 |title=The Space Between |url= |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=HarperCollins Canada |isbn=978-0-0063-8522-6 |oclc=1118318203}}
{{cite book |last=Aker |first=Don |author-mask=1 |date=2011 |title=The Fifth Rule |url= |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=HarperTrophy |isbn=978-1-5546-8863-0 |oclc=676774635}}{{Sfnmp|Patrick|2011}}
{{cite book |last=Aker |first=Don |author-mask=1 |date=2014 |title=Running on Empty |url= |location=HarperCollins Canada |publisher=Toronto, ON |isbn=978-1-4434-1440-1 |oclc=877888114}}
{{cite book |last=Aker |first=Don |author-mask=1 |date=2015 |title=Delusion Road |url= |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=HarperTrophy |isbn=978-1-4434-2416-5 |oclc=910566329}}{{Sfnmp|Marshall|2015}}
{{cite book |last=Aker |first=Don |author-mask=1 |date=2015 |title=Brothers in Arms: The Siege of Louisbourg |url= |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=Scholastic Canada |isbn=978-1-4431-1959-7 |oclc=902919475}}
{{cite book |last=Aker |first=Don |author-mask=1 |date=2015 |title=Always Even |url= |location=Don Mills, ON |publisher=Pearson Education |isbn=978-0-1338-5103-8 |oclc=1036204840}}
{{cite book |last=Aker |first=Don |author-mask=1 |date=2017 |title=Scars and Other Stories |url= |location=Lawrencetown Beach, NS |publisher=Pottersfield Press |isbn=978-1-9882-8605-1 |oclc=964368853}}

Recognition

1989: Winner of WFNS Atlantic Writing Competition{{Sfnmp|Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia|2020}}
1990: Winner of WFNS Atlantic Writing Competition{{Sfnmp|Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia|2020}}
1990: Winner of Canadian Living{{'}}s National Literary Competition{{Sfnmp|Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia|2020}}
1996: Ann Connor Brimer Award for Of Things Not Seen{{Sfnmp|Jenkinson|2000}}
2004: Ann Connor Brimer Award for The First Stone{{Sfnmp|Jenkinson|2000|The Daily Gleaner|2004}}
2017: The First Stone is listed among 150 Books of Influence by the Nova Scotia Library Association.{{Sfnmp|1a1=Emery|1a2=Lelliott|1y=2017|1p=17}}

References

=Citations=

=Sources=

{{sfn whitelist|CITEREFWriters'_Federation_of_Nova_Scotia|CITEREFThe_Daily_Gleaner2004}}

{{cite news |author={{Text|The Daily Gleaner}} |author-mask=[{{Italics correction|The Daily Gleaner}}] |date=25 May 2004 |title=Winners of Atlantic Writing Awards announced |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-gleaner-winners-of-atlantic-writin/174693179/ |work=The Daily Gleaner |location=Fredericton, NB |publisher= |access-date=17 June 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}}
{{cite book |editor-last1=Emery |editor-first1=Laura |editor-last2=Lelliott |editor-first2=Cynthia |date=November 2017 |title=Reading Nova Scotia: 150 Books of Influence |url=https://www.apla.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/L150_FINAL_Nov2017.pdf |location=Halifax, NS |publisher=Nova Scotia Library Association |access-date=17 June 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128231041/https://www.apla.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/L150_FINAL_Nov2017.pdf |archive-date=28 January 2024}}
{{cite news |last=Garlinski |first=Judy |date=11 September 2009 |title=Great pre-teen reads |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-tribune-great-pre-teen/174693399/ |work=The Daily Herald-Tribune |location=Grande Prairie, AB |publisher= |access-date=17 June 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}}
{{cite news |last=Garvie |first=Maureen |date=January 1998 |title=Stranger at Bay by Don Aker (review) |url=https://stage.quillandquire.com/review/stranger-at-bay/ |work=Quill & Quire |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=St. Joseph Media |access-date=16 June 2025}}
{{cite web |last=Hawthorn |first=Tom |date=16 April 2020 |title=The First Stone |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-first-stone |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |location= |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=16 June 2025}}
{{cite journal |last=Jenkinson |first=Dave |date=8 December 1995 |title=CM Magazine: Of Things Not Seen |url=https://www.cmreviews.ca/cm/vol2/no8/things.html |journal=Canadian Review of Materials |volume=2 |issue=8 |location=Winnipeg, MB |publisher=Manitoba Library Association |issn=1201-9364 |access-date=17 June 2025}}
{{cite news |last=Jenkinson |first=Dave |date=2000 |title=CM Magazine Profile: Don Aker |url=https://www.cmreviews.ca/cm/profiles/aker.html |work=Canadian Review of Materials |location=Winnipeg, MB |publisher=Manitoba Library Association |issn=1201-9364 |access-date=16 June 2025}}
{{cite news |last=Langton |first=Marg |date=13 November 1998 |title=Everyday experiences inspire Don's award-winning fiction |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-hamilton-spectator-everyday-experien/174643050/ |work=The Hamilton Spectator |location=Hamilton, ON |publisher= |access-date=16 June 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}}
{{cite journal |last=Marshall |first=Joan |date=26 June 2015 |title=CM Magazine: Delusion Road |url=https://www.cmreviews.ca/cm/vol21/no41/delusionroad.html |journal=Canadian Review of Materials |volume=21 |issue=41 |location=Winnipeg, MB |publisher=Manitoba Library Association |issn=1201-9364 |access-date=17 June 2025}}
{{cite news |last=Patrick |first=Stephen |date=April 2011 |title=The Fifth Rule by Don Aker (review) |url=https://stage.quillandquire.com/review/the-fifth-rule/ |work=Quill & Quire |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=St. Joseph Media |access-date=16 June 2025}}
{{cite web |author={{Text|Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia}} |author-mask=[Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia] |date= 14 April 2020|title=Author spotlight: Don Aker |url=https://writers.ns.ca/author-spotlights/author-spotlight-don-aker/ |website=writers.ns.ca |location= |publisher=Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia |access-date=16 June 2025}}